Parker asked Elvira, the elf, if she could turn up the heat in the North Pole castle, as she was cold. Elvira left and returned with a 3 electric space heaters… Elvira told the group that the Geo Thermal heating system for the massive dwelling was broken and that they did not have the money to fix it. Santa looked up from his hot chocolate and remarked that they would have been fine financially until the closing of their Pasta House and Grand Hotel due to the Pandemic…’Yes the 2020 pandemic was felt all over the world and that included the North Pole,’ CC chimed in! Chet asked Santa if he realized that the operation of multiple space heaters would cost him much more than the Geo Thermal furnace? Santa answered that he had considered that and that he was counting on the second stimulus check to aid in the Geo’s repair…but when the government did not come through with the desperate needed assistance…he had no choice but to rely on alternate heating. CC told Chet that they had continued to pay their laid off staff of elves…until they had no money left!

Porter announced, ‘Let’s get to work!’ Neva began working on the ceramic tile tables where she glued various sizes of tile on finely crafted wooden tables. Parker started working on the Doll assembly line where she fastened the heads and arms and legs onto the doll bodies. Chet and Steve began assembling wooden toy trucks and spinning tops… Porter commenced placing the laughing box inside the Laughing Santa figures and then adding stuffing and attaching the crank. Elvira heard a knock at the door.

Horatio and Helen were grinning with smile that were similar to Alice In Wonderlands…Cheshire Cat! Elvira exclaimed, ‘I thought you guys had taken off for Florida?’ Helen answered, ‘We did make it as far as Destin…but we could not leave Santa and CC in the lurch.’ We are here to help…and want no pay…’It is for the Children!’ Elvira peered into the frosty darkness and asked if there was someone else in the shadows? Out walked Jasper and Janice and Elmer and Elena…and hundreds more laid off elves! Santa proclaimed that he must find his red suit and that he was glad that he had not trimmed his beard… CC brought out fried baloney sandwiches…with mustard and Charles Potato Chips…and RC Cola to drink. For desert they enjoyed Holiday Oreo Cookies…

Michelangelo began to distribute face masks that each had emblazoned on their front, ‘I love Santa’ or ‘Please Do Not Feed Rudolph Beans!’ Elvira told Porter that Neva’s handcrafted ceramic tile table were being requested like hot cakes… Suddenly the furnace repair man drove up. He told Santa that all that he needed was a new furnace filter…and that there would be no charge… Steve mentioned that the repairman was a friend of a friend…

Soon there was the sound of 20 hooves landing on the roof. It was the five missing reindeer that had left to look for work. When CC asked them why they had returned…they answered in unison…”It is Christmas!’ Elvira turned off the space heaters. All of a sudden…’Rocking Around The Christmas Tree’ began to play throughout the building. Santa and CC began to dance!

Billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett walked in and whispered to Santa that they were going to donate 20 thousand dollars to every out of work person that was on their route..and that they wanted to remain anonymous…’Just tell the them it is from…Santa Claus…’

The majestic Brooks Christmas Tree has taken it’s place at the ranch! MJ and Jonathon and I have been working on the project all day. We think that it looks especially good this year with Aaron’s Little Town Christmas Village underneath its boughs! As I was retrieving the decorations from the Christmas Closet…I felt like that I had just placed them in there small confines…for their 2020 Nap. Little Town makes use of LED lighting that illuminates each building. It is a marked change from our little Dickens Christmas Village that I purchased from the Home Shopping television channel in the 1980.s. During the 80’s we had an 8 foot Christmas Tree adorned with Victorian ornaments from the DuQuoin Walmart. We would customarily turn all of the lights off and marvel in the Christmas miracle of holiday illumination…

One of my first Thanksgiving Eves working at Southern Illinois University I was working in the Allyn building and I entered my custodian office to find a couple of crafts people sitting inside. They were in high spirits as the holiday was upon us and once we retuned to work on the following Monday…Christmas was coming up quickly. As I visited with them I relished the fact that I was a member of the Physical Plant and still had to pinch myself when I considered what an opportunity that I had been given by SIUC! One of the gentlemen asked the other if he was going to enjoy some turkey on Thanksgiving? The other replied, ‘Wild Turkey!’ I knew then…that I was not in Kansas anymore.

As a youngster I was aware that many of my classmates and friends enjoyed a Thanksgiving Horn of Plenty Feast! When I inquired of my mother why we did not she proclaimed that she did not have the time or the energy to produce two holiday meals and the Christmas was more important! Now do not misunderstand…we were thankful on the American Holiday. I watched every minute of the Macy’ Thanksgiving Day Parade! But…we were likely to have cheeseburgers for our holiday feast… Thanksgiving was the door to the Christmas holiday. Even up onto and including today…we enjoy erecting our Christmas Tree prior to Thanksgiving…

MJ and I married in 1978. In March of 2021 we will celebrate our 43rd anniversary! MJ love Thanksgiving…it is her favorite holiday! We have been hosting the joyous event for well over 30 years. We will not be doing so this year due to the virulent virus that we are hiding ourselves from…in order that we can all get together…in 2021…

Adaline Moore was a joy and an exciting tradition for us…when she blessed us by attending our Thanksgiving feast for many years! Each year I enjoyed seeing her sparkling eyes and her beautiful smile around our family table. The joy of our niece, Tara, and her wonderful husband, Mike, with their two wonderful children, Paige and Tyler, literally bring the light of the holiday into our hearts! My buddies Ron and Ira Kaye have been our traveling partners on many occasions and they are always a good time!

Thanksgiving is a heart thing…. It is not based on the exchange of gifts or commercial endeavors. It is a holiday that is captured in the twinkle of our loved ones or friends or the stranger among us…eyes! It is the look of happiness and comfort and love that is in the smile and look of peace and contentment of our fellow human family that was caught unawares by the generosity that they have encountered… I remember Building Services Annual Thanksgiving Dinner that we conducted for many years. The dinner grew out of one of our foreman, Gerald Davis, having a Thanksgiving Dinner for his crews. Before we knew it the feast was for the entire department which had two hundred student staff and one hundred and forty full time employees. The full time staff made delicious delectable holiday dishes and also purchased turkeys and hams and fried chicken for the group. Just to see the looks of joy on the faces of our student workers….told me what the meaning of Thanksgiving was…love… University Presidents and Chancellors and Vice Chancellors came to the annual Horn of Plenty…and it was not for the food….it was for the camaraderie and unity felt among people from all over the world…in a spirit of thankfulness…

Thanksgiving Monday has presented itself with a bright blue sky and moderate temperature. It is 50 degrees and I am on my writing porch and comfortable in a medium jacket. Another drug company has announced that it should have a Covid-19 vaccine ready early in tbe New Year. The challenges of 2020…will shrink in 2021.

I have watched as our political and religious discourse has morphed from ‘peace of mind’… to ‘piece of my mind.’ Certain recognized facts and truths have been attacked and given the life of a ‘Frankenstein Monster’…as we all retreat to our WWI Trenches to raise our heads and aim and fire at our ideological enemies! Soon we lower our heads in sorrow and despair when we see that the fight is useless and the righteous of our cause is still not accepted by our adversary who is blind to the truth!

We desire to be settled. Nothing magnifies this hope more than the holidays. During normal years…and not our 2020 pandemic…we create the feast for all of our family and friends and even the stranger among us! This year…our 2020 pandemic year…we look longingly at the famous Norman Rockwell painting of the happy family around the large and heavily laden Thanksgiving table. Being safe this year will cause us to fulfill that painting…next year. It seems a peaceful mind emanates from a peaceful heart. ‘A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.’ Proverbs 17:22

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Security is a chameleon that we chase…often…for the majority of our life. We know that if we can just aquire enough money and land and houses and barns…we will suddenly be endued with the calmness of a feeling of security. I think that a secure feeling has its home inside our heart…rather than our external circumstances. Things change. I watched a fascinating movie on Amazon Prime yesterday called ‘The Nest.’ In the flick one of the main characters commented that once he had a million dollars…and this was in the 1980s, but that finally it was all used up…it was all gone. Of course we require money to pay for our human needs…but not particularly our wants…

Safety comes from assuring that our neighbors are not food insecure. It comes from working to provide shelter for the homeless and clothes and love for the marginalized of our society. Safety does not come from people carrying long guns to the grocery store…it comes from purchasing groceries for the hungry!

This Thursday let us paint the Norman Rockwell painting of Thanksgiving with images of those who we have helped feed and clothe and protect from freezing temperatures…sitting around the Storied Table…

The smell of roasted turkey wafted through Porter’s bedroom. It did not have far to travel as it was not far from the kitchen. Porter relished not having to attend school for not only Thanksgiving but the Friday after! He and Chet had been talking of little else for the last two weeks. Chet was going to join him and his family this year along with Porter’s other buddy Steve. Porter knew that the day after Thanksgiving…they erected the aluminum Christmas Tree! But, first things first…he must watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! There really was nothing to compare with the majesty of the humongous floats of all of his favorite cartoon characters! There was Snoopy and Charlie Brown along with Dudley Do Right and Bullwinkle and Rocky the Flying Squirrel! Porter’s mom along with cooking the turkey had made her famous coffee cake. Now the coffee cake was not only a work of art but a culinary delight! It was manufactured, by Neva’s hands, in long rows of delectable flour and confections with different jellies and marmalades placed in the middle. Just the smell of it made Porter reminisce regarding Christmases past… Finally came Santa Claus bringing up the end of the Parade! Porter was dreaming of the Big Swinger Camera that he had asked for as a gift for Christmas.

Chet was at their back door. He was clad in what we called a Russian cap that had fur on the front of it and ear flaps that could be unbuckled at the top of the hat and then re-buckled under his chin to provide instant ear muffs. It was a cold Thanksgiving! He also had on woolen mittens and his cheeks were rosy red! Chet brought with him a gift for Porter’s grandma… of Thanksgiving poems. Neva called out to Porter and Chet, ‘Would you boys like a shot glass of Balloon Wine?’ Dear reader, you must understand that Porter and his mom, Neva, made Balloon Wine…and they were very proud of it! Both boys answered with a hearty…yes! Neva told Chet and Porter that it was just about time to leave for Grandma’s house as they were going to eat at noon. So, Chet began to don his warm clothes again and Porter put on his blue sock hat.

Grandma Grace greeted Neva and the boys with a hug and a kiss! She announced that they had homemade fudge and divinity and all manner of candies along with sundry cakes and pies and nuts and fruits! There was aunt Wanda and Guelda and Vema and cousins Billy and Brenda. All were smiling and speaking at once with their mouths full… There was ham and roast beef and lamb…along with oyster dressing and broccoli casserole and mashed potatoes. In the corner of the dining room was Santa Claus… He was clad in a red suit with a fluffy white beard and he certainly filled out the physical dimensions of the jolly old elf! Upon further investigation Porter and Chet discovered that it was Porter’s uncle Ed…who was a portly fellow and he was wearing a costume and mask provided him by cousin Billy! As all assembled sat down to partake in the holiday feast…Grandma Grace asked Chet to say the blessing… Chet removed bis glasses and bowed his head and uttered the memorable words, ‘Good gravy good meat…good God….Let’s eat!’ Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Porter arose to answer as his elders were busily consuming from the Horn of Plenty! As he opened the door he noticed that it had begun to snow…heavily. On the front lawn was a sleigh and reindeer and at the door was Elvira the Elf. Elvira told Porter that she had been asked by St. Nicholas to come to his Grandma’s house and to retrieve both he and his friends Chet and Steve…to return with her to the North Pole…as they were desperately needed! Steve and Chet were up for the adventure but Porter said that he must ask his mom. He called Neva to the door and whispered to her that he and Steve and Chet had been summoned to the North Pole by St. Nicholas and did she mind if he went to see what was up? Neva resounded that not only did she not mind but that she would like to accompany them…if that was alright? Elvira exclaimed that not only was it alright but that at this time of year they needed every hand on deck!

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Elvira asked where Parker was? Porter respond that she was having Thanksgiving dinner with her family. Elvira said that this simply will not suffice…St. Nicholas had specifically requested that Parker be a part of the Eldorado Contingent to the North Pole! Chet exclaimed that he knew where she lived…and the reindeer took off for the Eldorado address… When Elvira the Elf rang the doorbell of Parker’s house…Parker came to the door. Parker saw the sleigh and the reindeer and the Elf standing before her. Elvira told her that St. Nicholas needed her…as Christmas was in danger of not happening without her help…Parker followed Elvira to the awaiting sled…

The Writing Porch looked inviting…but it is cold! It is currently 48 degrees but it feels like 46. Now…I have always attested to enjoying the cold…but I was younger then… than I am. now… What has dawned on me is that two weeks from now…Thanksgiving will be over. I think that it is about time to put up the Christmas Tree! MJ tells me that we already have much of our Christmas gifts purchased and that the target week for O’ Tannenbaum is next week!

Aaron’s birthday is Monday…but the celebration begins tomorrow! Birthdays in the Brooks Clan are of extreme importance! Aaron and I have a love for scary movies. When I see a good one come along, I tell my movie buddy, and he is always ready for the viewing! Speaking of movies…the favorite Christmas movie for our family is Christmas Vacation. We watch it with the passion of both knowing every word of dialogue and yet being surprised by the laughs that still. ensue at each screening!

Holiday Season brings us all a much needed reprise from what has been a grim year. We need the happiness and joy that our traditions bring us. MJ has ordered us an Advent Wreath for our Zoom church services. We began attending First Presbyterian Church in Carbondale at this time of year…22 years ago. During the first few weeks I was amazed at the work and thought and passion that was put into the Church’s observance of the Advent season. This was right down my alley…Christmas has been my primary passion since I was a child. One of my first Christmas memories is of the massive, at least in my eyes…’ Christmas Tree at our Chicago Home. In those days mom and dad were still together…and there was Laughing Santa! LS was a little Santa with a big laugh! He had a crank on his back that when you turned it he cackled uproariously! During those young days of my life…he was Santa to me…

Kerry, our pastor, has a joviality that is refreshing! He reminds me of my friend of many years, Bill V. Each time that I speak with Bill he is not only upbeat…but his sunny attitude is infections! You may ask, does Bill feel good and in high spirits each day…, I am sure that he does not! What Bill has done since I have known him is to endeavor to make the person that he is with…feel better… The same can be said of Pastor Kerry who is constantly working at injecting some sunshine in the lives of those with whom he interacts!

Christmas Trees and Advent Wreaths and Sunshine to melt away the shadows is the order of our day…I think! Thank goodness of Zoom and other virtual methods of gathering together! Prior to our 2020 pandemic we were worried about each other spending more screen time than we should or that was healthy for our social development…that concern is placed on hold until we are on the other side of the virus…

Thomas enjoyed his lackadaisical life on the Hill in St.Louis. His wife Abigail had requested that he speak with Fred to ascertain what he and his wife, Maudie, were planning on for Thanksgiving dinner. Abigail wanted to invite Fred and Maudie to their house for the holiday feast! She was especially fond of Maudie who she had cocktails with every afternoon. Abigail’s favorite was a Manhattan and Maudie preferred the Dirty Martini. They had been enjoying their ‘Cocktail Hour’ for many years. Often they met at Cunetto’s House of Pasta that is located just a block away from their side by side homes that were located on the Hill…in St. Louis. Maudie and Abigail enjoyed solving the problems of the world during the ‘Cocktail Hour, that often lasted two hours or more…depending on the quality of the lively conversation and the strength of the drinks! Thomas enjoyed his own ‘Cocktail Hour’ and he usually spent the time of rest and reflection on his screened in porch with his black Labrador, Parker. Thomas was a vodka fan and he rotated between vodka tonics and Dirty Martini’s. Fred was a teetotaler. Fred drank coffee throughout the day and for a change he drank sweet tea…in the evening. Fred did, however, enjoy his plethora of pipes! Fred had quite a collection! When Fred was smoking one of his pipes…all was right with the world…

With all of the fellowship and shared experiences that the two couples had enjoyed for many years, they had not spent Thanksgiving together. Fred and Thomas did relish many games of chess over their friendship. They had watched the Netflix series, The Queen’s Gambit, and subsequently purchased several Chess books, each. Thomas and Fred did enjoy talking politics. Fred was a Republican and Thomas was a life long Democrat. The prolonged Presidential Election had been an obsession of both. But, now, it was time for the holiday season! It was time to regroup and reset and enjoy the company of good friends!

Maudie was overjoyed when she received the invitation from Abigail to come to their house for Thanksgiving! She began to cook her famous oyster dressing! Also, she baked a pecan pie and a pumpkin pie… Abigail was busily concerned with ensuring that her and Thomas house was spotless and that she had an adequate supply of Grey Goose Vodka, Maudie and Fred’s favorite, and the necessary olive juice and dry vermouth…as well as red wine. She announced to Fred that he was in charge of the meat… Fred responded that he knew a guy who had prepared the most delicious smoked Venison! Maudie considered that the Venison would be a nice change and that that she had tried some deer sausage once…and had enjoyed it!. Fred remarked that he would have to drive to Southern Illinois to Pankneyville to obtain the smoked delight…as the chef had a particular skill in preparing the marvelous Venison…

Abigail asked her friend Maudie if she or Fred had any food allergies and was relived that they did not. She noted that she was planing on ordering a family serving of Cunetto’s famous Lasagna. Maudie laughed with delight when she considered the culinary delights that awaited her! Thomas reflected on the enduring friendship that he and Fred and Maudie and Abigail had enjoyed for the past 20 years. They had learned to look over each others differences and peccadilloes. They had decided. long ago, that their friendship was much more important than political or religious differences.

Macy’s Day Parade in New York had arrived! There was Santa Claus bringing up the rear of the Parade…in all of his festive glory! The door bell chimed…and there was Fred and Maudie bearing many plates of food and savory deserts and exhibiting smiles a mile long… Fred had travelled, on Wednesday to Pankneville to pick up the smoked Venison. He had gone by the home of his youth in Eldorado, Illinois and been saddened to see the disrepair that it had fallen into… In any case the smoked meat had smelled delicious if a bit…pungent… Thomas and Abigail had looked forward to this day…for some time! They relished being accepted by Maudie and Fred and the natural and comfortable friendship that they had enjoyed for many years. Now, it was time for the Thanksgiving dinner… Abigail unveiled the oyster dressing and the Broccoli Casserole and the Cunetto’s Lasagna! Fred removed the aluminum foil from the much awaited for…smoked Venison…and all were aghast… On the serving plate was smoked turkey…and no words were uttered!

Cigars and martinis and sweet tea…is the order of the day…Thomas announced with the confidence of love and understanding of your friend…demands… Soon talk of a Black Friday trip to St. Charles, Missouri ensued! Both couples thoroughly enjoy the Mainstreet Bookstore and Jansen’s Clock Shop and the Christmas Characters of Mr. Scrooge and Tiny Tim…and the abundance of…St. Nicholas and Pierre Noel…Kris Kringle… and Santa Claus…and the Christmas Parade….warmed the celebration… Pipes were ordered…and Dirty Martinis…and Dry Manhattans…and red wine and cigars for this who desired them… All was right with the world…and the holiday…was kept…

Fred exclaimed…please make me a Grey Goose…Dirty Martini!

MJ and I have been watching the PBS series, Endeavor, on Amazon Prime. It is the prequel to the Inspector Morris series. Young Inspector Endeavor Morris is the protege of Detective Inspector Fred Thursday. DI Fred Thursday’s primary admonishment to his friends and family is to, ‘Watch how you go.’ I believe this is equivocal to our American term of, ‘Be careful.’ So, I throughly enjoy this admonishment and have inculcated it into my lexicon.

Nerves are rattled and stomachs are upset on both sides of the aisle as a result of our still not decided presidential election. Many folks emotions are on a razors edge! Patience is the loadstone for our troubled times. We are participants in a pandemic. We have had a presidential election in the midst of the second wave of Covid 19. Election Day was a beautiful day…and the day after the election is equally as lovely! Our nation is the envy of the world for our free and fair elections… The entire planet has their eyes trained on us to watch how the most powerful nation in the community of nations…is handling the counting of every vote of our citizenry.

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All success is incremental! That would be the story of life. It is the work horse…not the show horse…that wins the battles, and climbs the mountians…and know every inch of the terrain of the valleys of life! Our time on earth is marked by many ordinary days and many hard days. The woman or man that will wear the clothing of the laborer and who will lead us by experience rather than rhetoric…is the victor at the end of the day!

During my tenure as a manager/administrator at Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale I humbly enjoyed a success in helping others…now and again… I also shouldered twice or more…setbacks…in my quest to gain needed and necessary work/life enhancements for wonderful people who were looking to me for a voice… regarding their forgotten needs! On more than one occasion I was marginalized and lied to… Even victory or gain for others…flelt like the accession of Mr. Everest…and every set-back or reversal made me twice as determined to succeed the next time!

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spent time in the Birmingham jail…but he did not give in or give up! ‘We’ve got some difficult days ahead, ‘Martin Luther King, Jr., told an overflowing crowd in Memphis Tenessee, on 3 April 1968, where the city’s sanitation workers were striking. ‘But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop…I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.’ Less than 24 hours after these prophetic words, King was assassinated by James Earl Ray.’ The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute.

As I sit in my customary seat on the writing porch…the evening shadows are falling. The time of year when we watch the warm and pleasant days of summer transform into the cold and introspective days of winter. Thoughts of all that we are thankful for and a more clear view of sugar plums dancing in our heads is growing nearer. As I walked through campus woods this afternoon I noticed that the brilliant colored leaves…were yielding to their date with destiny for 2020. I have noticed throughout my time on our planet that the colder temperatures tend to have a calming effect on the heated passions of we humans. As we withdraw to our dens and warm ourselves around our communal hearth pleasant fire…we ponder where we have been and where we are going…

Leaders and watching them ply their craft has been a keen interest of mine since I was a child. I have witnessed the most captivating of speakers enrapture their listeners until the listener forgot who they were and took on the personality of the loquacious leader! I have been fascinated with the study of the cult called NEXIVM and it’s founder, Keith Raniere. I was amazed, just now, when I looked up the spelling of his name that he is 60 years old. NEXIVM began as a multi level marketing company and became a cult. I watched the HBO series called, The Vow, and when that was completed there was yet another television series regarding the cult called, SEDUCED: INSIDE THE NXIVM CULT, on the Stars television channel. Rather than having a lot of overlap both series reveal more about the persuasion of this cult leader and the terrible things that he convinced his followers to undergo. These things would include total obedience for ‘slaves’ to their ‘masters’, sex trafficking and pedophilia being talked about openly by Mr. Raniere. It boggles the mind how this nondescript man could convince educated and upwardly mobile individuals to buy into what he was selling. Much of the persuasion took place in a closed environment where what the leader was selling was consumed by the the followers…with little competing information was being allowed to enter into the community.

We can be fooled more easily that we would like to admit! So, now we are on the eve of a presidential election. It is vital that everyone votes and that all votes are counted. We are not a homogenous nation…we are a melting pot…and we are the envy of the world for our acceptance of all peoples. Let us count every vote from all political parties! We must love rather than hate… Any of us that believes that we have all of the answers…we are engaged in a fools errand… I have many friends that are of a different political persuasion than I am…I love them! I never take what I am told at face value…I examine it…I think about it from a critical perspective. I have lived my life by the axiom…’To thine own self be true!’

Neither ministers nor academics nor political leaders posses carte blanche with my mind… I have found peace in the openness of my soul to many voices. many opinions…love for all humanity… I grew up around closed thinking individuals who accepted the candid opine of minister and friends and family who had not traveled further than the midwest and who espoused the creed of their tribe. It is a self-satisfying exercise but not a seeking of truth… Any dogma that marginalizes of minimizes the common humanity of my brothers and sisters…is is anathema to me!

Tomorrow will bring us the will of the people…and I do not know what that will be…but it will be in the spirit and the letter of what our founding fathers desired for our citizenry to engage in…

Our anticipation of normality has played a trick on us. We seek our comfortable routine and we want to walk on the well worn paths of our lives. Just now I am sitting in my loft and listening to the steady rain that is falling outside. It has rained much of the day and will rain throughout the night and into tomorrow. It is 11:18 in my neck of the woods. Thoughts of Thanksgiving and Christmas are in my head…as well as our 2020 pandemic. It will soon be 4 days until our national election. The presidential election is dominating our airwaves…as it usually does. There is enough angst to go around…there is enough for each of us to have our fair share…

Remember the popular song of days gone by, ‘Those Were the Days,’ and the next line, ‘We thought they would never end…’

‘Once upon a time there was a tavern were we used to raise a glass or two

‘Remember how we laughed away the hours and think of all the great things we would do.’

‘Then the busy years went rushing by us. We lost our starry notions along the way.’

‘If by chance I’d see you in the tavern. We’d smile at one another and we’d say.’

‘Those were the days my friend. We thought they’d never end. We’d sing and dance forever and a day. We’d live the life we choose. We’d fight and never loose. Those were the days, Oh yes those were the days.’

The song sums up how many of us have felt over the majority of 2020. But…things will get better! This is not the first time our planet has experienced a pandemic. This is not the first time we have gone through a crisis. ‘Those Were the Days,’ was written in 1968…I was 11 years old. One of MJ and my good friends wrote her an email, the other day, and she said that a blog that I had written had encouraged her. He kind words make it all worth while. I have had a desire and a passion since I was a child…to help others or to make someone feel better… I had a share of sadness as a little boy and I was constantly trying to make things better.

So much of our lives have no roadmap or GPS to guide us. We can be guided by our fellow human beings who are traveling this peculiar journey with us… There are seasons when we are bored…when we should be happy… There are times when we are sick and sad and troubled…and we look longingly at the times when we were bored…and protected…and without worry…

I wonder if when we pass from this life and have the opportunity to look back upon it if we will wonder…’What was that!’ Or will we see the beauty and the love and the understanding of living though a profound struggle with a heavenly father who provided our daily bread…and the loving arms of friends who held us up on our rocky and joyful journey…

After we hung MJ’s New Mexico hand woven rug yesterday, we struck out for a major journey for us, during our 2020 pandemic, St. Louis! In non-covid 19 times…we travel to St. Louis often once per month. We have been enjoying the Gateway to the West for nearly 50 years! But in our social distancing and stay at home coronavirus state…we have been in Carbondale for most of the year. So, it was fun to set out for the big city…even though we did not follow our usual routine. Customarily we would view a movie at the Plaza Frontenac theatre. We all love movies! This year we visited the Kodner Gallery. Kodner has a wonderful selection of fine art! MJ and I saw a Picasso etching that we both liked…quite monetarily distant from our price range. One of the Kodner brothers was our host and he very hospitable and kind. MJ and I had visited the Gallery on 2013. And we enjoyed the experience, this time with Aaron and Jonathon…who are both art connoisseur’s! Then it was on to Cunetto House of Pasta. We have been going to Cunetto for well over 20 years and I have enjoyed most of my birthday dinners there over that time! The make the best Dirty Martini that I have ever had! I have become transfixed with their Tutto Mare! On the way home we enjoyed listening to a game of the World Series.

MJ surprised me with a photo, that a neighbor of ours took of our house at night with a comet over it. The person had been so kind to mention that he had snapped the photo and gave us permission to print one…if we desired. I have never seen our home look so brilliant at night! Of course the comet overhead is a special addition! I had mentioned that I wold like to have a copy to hang one of our walls…but my suggestion did not seem to take root… When I opened the gift of a framed and brilliant photo…I was truly surprised…and that is not easy to say when you are 63! Jonathon gave me a gift of 3 action figures that I had wanted for some time: Joe Biden, Kamal Harris, and Pope Francis…and in case you are wondering…I have a Donald Trump action figure! I love action figures! I had admired a bracelet that Aaron has worn for some time…and I am getting a similar one from him this week! Color me excited! Also, MJ purchased for me a Bronze Remington Bucking Bronco…on her birthday this past February!

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I had a great telephone call from my old buddy, Steve, last night. He and I share the same birthday. Although he and Faye live in Indianna…we both were hired at SIUC in the 1970’s. When we talk we reminisce about old times and old adventures! When I see all of the Birthday Wishes on Facebook…I am humbled and supremely grateful to have so many friends who take the time to send their kind words…

A current SIUC member of the staff told Jonathon that she had heard many good things about me…and I was amazed that anyone would even speak of me or remember me…after 10 years…